Adversaries by T.L. Hodel

My fists balled, tightening the skin around my scrapped knuckles and sending a dull ache crawling up my arm. Driving my fist through the wall scratched them all to hell. Probably didn’t help when I beat on the Reaper we had tied up in the basement.

Or, I should say, formerly had. Tanner was currently out, feeding the gators with what was left of his corpse. There were bonuses to living near a swamp.

I hadn’t planned on killing my brother’s man. Not until I’d gotten information out of him, but I was so pissed off at that little bitch, I had to take it out on someone. And Tanner wasn’t up for a round of eat-my-fist, so I paid our prisoner a visit.

Fucking Naomi Prescott. Who the hell did she think she was? Marching in here like she owned the place, with her ‘I think your dick disagrees.’ Trying to bait me. Nice try, Princess.

I dropped that high school shit when I was twelve. I should’ve tanned her ass. She seemed to like that shit. I know I did. The bitch had a fantastic ass. The way it bounced when my belt smacked off her skin…

“Fuuuck,” I groaned while pushing on Grace’s head, driving my cock down her throat.

Did I feel bad for treating her like a human fleshlight? No. Grace chose to be a sweet butt. She wanted to get used. Their whole purpose was to please patched members. Except, she wasn’t pleasing me. Nothing to do on her end.

The chick had a mouth like a hoover. Someone else was occupying my mind. And trust me I was trying to rid myself of her snarky fucking smile, but every time I licked my lips, I could taste her on the tip of my tongue. It was more refreshing than cold Corona and lime.

“Goddammit,” I yelled, slammed my fist on my desk. “This shit isn’t working.”

Grace popped my dick out of her mouth and fluttered her light eyes up at me.

“Is it that girl that was here earlier? She seemed kind of young.”

She was young. Too fucking young. Naomi was only a year older than Riley. Which basically made me the perverted uncle type I told her to stay away from.

“Would it help if I called you an asshole?” Grace’s lips tipped down in a fake frown. “I could throw something at you.”

My face dropped. I was gonna punch Tanner the next time I saw him.

“Did I tell you to stop sucking my dick?”

One brow arch was all it took for Grace to slurp my cock back in her mouth.

As if divine intervention heard my thoughts, Tanner burst in my office.

“Hey, Boss.”

Welcome to next time, asshole.

“Come here,” I waved him over.

The grinning idiot strutted right up. The second he was within reach, I swung my arm across the desk and slapped him.

He stumbled back into the chair behind him, rubbing his cheek. “Ouch.”

“Stop telling the whole damn club my business.”

“But is it still your business when you’re making out with it on the stairs?”

I sighed and dropped my head in my hand. Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have done that.

“How’d it go?” I asked, seeking a change in subject.

He propped his muddy boot up on my desk and gave me a big smile. “The gators ate well today.”

“Wilder give you any problems?”

“Nah,” he shook his head. “He was busy doing his own thing.”

Grace instantly popped up from under the desk with wide eyes. “Is Wilder here?”

“Shut the fuck up,” I growled and pushed her back down.

Wilder had a way of making people uneasy. He was one of the few that sent a chill up my spine. Even Preston Whitley didn’t do that, and that kid was one cold son of a bitch. His stare was hard and empty, but Wilder’s was completely lifeless.

Difference between a sociopath and a psychopath, I suppose, and I was pretty damn sure Wilder was a psychopath. Of course, his choice to live in the run-down amusement park didn’t help any. Fucking creepy-ass clowns everywhere. I shivered just thinking about it.

“I hate to interrupt,” Tanner tipped his chin at my desk, “but Micha Kessler is outside.”

My brow arched. “Micha Kessler?”

“Yup.”

My first thought was that something had happened to Riley, but if that was the case, it’d be more likely I’d get a call.

“What the fuck does he want?”

This wasn’t exactly the type of place any Kessler would hang out. Well, except for Mason. Micha’s brother was fucking idiot. I could see him waltzing in here, thinking he was just one of the guys.

Tanner shrugged. “Says he wants to talk to you.”

What the hell did that prick want to talk to me about? This better not be more of their Order of Ravens and Wolves bullshit. I told his old man I wasn’t interested in joining their rich boy club.

“You want me to tell him to piss off?”

I briefly considered letting him shoot the asshole fucking my niece, then I’d have Riley all up in my business. And no one wanted that. She might be a tiny thing, but she sure could pack a punch.

I bet she could take down half the guys in here before they realized what was happening. I fucking loved that girl.

“No,” I sighed and stood up, tucking dick away, “I’ll go see what he wants.”

Anything was better than the mind-numbing blow job I was pretending to enjoy. Besides, Tanner probably took my place the second I left.

I nodded at a couple of prospects I passed on the stairs. Since my outburst yesterday, everyone had been walking on eggshells. Rooms quieted down, guys whispered, and three prospects decided this wasn’t the life for them.

Beast tried to give me shit about it until I pointed out that it was better to weed out the cowards now than in the middle of a gunfight.

If they were looking for a place to party and get pussy every night, they could join a frat. We weren’t the nice guys that ran off dealers and took guns off the street. We put them there.

Our world was dark and dangerous. There’d always be some motherfucker who wanted what was ours, or a war waiting to be fought. I didn’t have time to hold their hands.

The only way we’d survive was if every patch-wearing member was ready to lay his life down for their brother. Unity was the one thing my brother didn’t have. I might expect a lot, but if anyone of them needed backup, my hog would be the first to fire up.

That was why I knew we’d win. Fear didn’t buy the same kind of loyalty that respect did. And, I got my three Reaper heads, plus one more.

I walked out into the warm afternoon sun and marched across the grounds. Micha Kessler was leaning back against a shiny black Jeep, his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face. I propped my hip against the gate and watched the crowd gathered around him.

“That’s a nice cage you have,” one of my boys said while planting his ass on the hood of Micha’s Jeep. And not nicely either. The metal groaned as he dropped his ass hard. “Daddy buy it for you?”

Snake, the newest member to earn his diamond one percent patch, stalked around Micha and dragged his key across the shiny black paint. Even I cringed at the screeching sound ringing through the air.

“Looks like Richie Rich needs a new paint job.” Snake was a big boy who had a rough life. A few of his foster parents were well off and let’s just say, he wasn’t particularly fond of people with money.

I had to hand it to Micha, though. He was surrounded by a bunch of growly assholes who’d like nothing more than to eat that expensive watch around his wrist, and he didn’t even flinch. Not even when Snake reached out and snatched the sunglasses off his face.

“Thanks, Richie Rich,” Snake tapped the side of Micha’s face, “I needed a new pair.”

Micha huffed out a sigh and shrugged. “Who am I to argue if you want my leftovers.”

Ah fuck, I had to stop this shit now. Three of those Reaper heads I got last night were taken by Snake.

“Don’t you guys have somewhere else to be?” I said, pushing off the fence to head over before my niece’s boyfriend ended up with a knife in his gut.

A few of the boys gave a disgruntled mutter, but they all quickly dispersed. Snake was the only one who paused long enough to glare back at Micha. Can’t say I blamed him. I didn’t like the guy either.

The fact that Micha was the spitting image of his father wasn’t winning him any points. Three days in Ashen Springs was all it took for the Kesslers to pop up on my radar. It didn’t matter how much a man dressed up or what kind of face he wore out in public. A criminal was still a criminal, and Louis Kessler was one of the shadiest motherfuckers I knew.

Micha tilted his head towards the group, walking away. “Enjoy that?”

“A little.”

“You look good.” His dark eyes rolled over me, stopping on the cigarette behind my ear. “When did you take up smoking?”

Not in the mood for small talk, I sighed, “What do you want, Micha?”

“So, right down to business then?”

I didn’t say anything. Despite what connection he thought I had to his group of thugs, we weren’t friends.

“Okay,” this time, it was him who sighed, “I heard about what happened on campus the other night.”

That’s what this was about. Derek already gave me shit for that, and I gave even less fucks what Micha thought.

“So?”

“So,” he said, “I have some information that could help.”

“Yeah, sure.” I barked out a laugh. Micha was a boy playing man. His balls had barely dropped. How the fuck was he going to help me? “Take your detention slips and go home.”

“What’s your problem, Chase. My age?” Micha pushed off the Jeep and straightened up. “Or my name?”

I may not be a fan of his old man, but that was beside the point. “Do you have any idea what your stepping into?”

“I’ve fought a few wars in my time.”

“See,” I tsked, “I don’t think you understand. This isn’t one of your schoolyard tiffs. It’s a full-out war. Death has come to Miami, and he doesn’t give a shit who gets away. When this is over, the streets will be paved in blood. The only important thing is who’s blood it is. Ours, or theirs. That’s not something you can pay people to forget.”

“What if you could win it without civilian casualties?”

“That’s a nice idea.” I crossed my arms, “but it’s a big city. Lots of people to get in the way.”

Micha’s brow rose. “Riley said you’re a fan of chess.”

“Riley talks too much.”

I wouldn’t say I was a fan of the game, so much as pushed into learning it. Puberty hit me like a ton of bricks. Until then, I was a scrawny kid. Chess club seemed like the thing to do in school.

“You should know that sometimes the best piece on the board,” he reached into his jacket and pulled out a large manila envelope, “is the pawn.”

“What’s that?”

“The key to taking your brother down.”

Why should I believe anything he said? My eyes narrowed on the envelope in his hand. Fuck it. What did I have to lose? I snatched the envelope, and Micha sat back while I went through the contents. Most of it was bank statements and docking slips.

I was about to throw the papers back at him when I flipped to a newspaper article. It wasn’t the story that caught my attention. It was the picture. Ashen Springs mayor christening a boat called the Aurora.

The same boat was on the docking information. And in the background was a man with dark hair and a large red Reaper patch.

“Jax,” I growled, instantly recognizing the scar on my brother’s left cheek. It was one of the last things I gave him.

“We traced all the mayor’s deposits back to an account in the Cayman Islands under the name Ian Mathers. Sound familiar?”

My eyes rolled up. It should sound familiar. That was my father’s name. It was possible that my old man had a stash of money none of us knew about.

“When was it opened?”

“Seven years ago.”

That was two years after he died.

I glared down at the picture of Ashen Springs’ Mayor. If I didn’t hate the fucker before, I sure as hell did now. “What’s my brother paying him for?”

“Don’t know. He hid that well,” Micha tipped his head and squinted against the sun, “but whatever it is, it has to do with that boat.”

While I was appreciative of the information, there was something I didn’t get.

“Why are you doing this?”

“You’re the last of the wolves.”

I grumbled. Not this shit again.

“Like it or not, you’re one of us, Chase, and we help our own. Just like you’d help anyone of them,” he added, nodding his head at the bikers watching us.

Apparently, Tanner finished with Grace because he was propped up against the clubhouse with his ankles crossed and eyes trained on us. Neither one of us trusted Louis Kessler or his son. Though a lot of that might have to do with how he took Riley.

I thought about taking out Micha and his thugs so many times, but if Riley wanted me involved, she would’ve asked for help. Unfortunately, I couldn’t control who she fell in love with, that didn’t mean I had to like it.

“Tell your old man I’m not interested…” Information like this wasn’t given for free.

“My father has nothing to do with this.”

I believed that about as much as I believed Naomi was really a sweet person deep down. Micha was Louis Kessler’s perfect little protégé.

“Go home, Micha,” I sighed and turned to leave.

“People are always comparing me to my father. Expecting me to do what he would do or make the same choices he would.”

I stopped and fisted my hands.

“I would think you’d understand that.”

Oh, I understood it. All too well.

“What do you expect me to do? Roll into town and execute your mayor?” I glanced back at him, “Find someone else to take care of your problem.”

“Sure, you could go for Clive himself, but you won’t find out shit about your brother,” Micha pointed out.

He was right. The second Jax thought I was onto him, he’d cut his loss. My best chance at catching him off guard was to by convincing Clive Prescott to cooperate.

“It’s a good idea,” I’d give the kid that much, “but you don’t know my brother. Clive won’t cross him. It’d be bad for everyone he loved if he did.”

“There’s one thing my father says that I agree with. He who holds the most leverage has all the power.” Micha tipped his head at the file in my hand. “Our mayor has one weakness, and she happens to be going to school in your city.”

I glanced down at the blonde little girl in the picture holding the mayor’s hand. Fucking Naomi. Making daddy’s little princess serve me until her old man broke? Now that was a plan I would thoroughly enjoy.

I looked Micha right in the eyes so he’d understand how serious I was. “You understand what I’ll do to her?”

“I guess daddy better cooperate then,” he shrugged.

I shook my head. My niece’s boyfriend really was a cold bastard. I could at least respect that.

Turning my head, I whistled at Tanner, who was waiting for me to call him over.

His gaze shifted to Micha as he walked over. “What’s up?”

“Message Clive Prescott,” I slapped the stack of papers off Tanner’s chest, “Tell him he has until ten o’clock tonight to tell us everything we want to know about his deal with my brother.”

“Or what,” he asked, with an arched brow.

“Or I’ll take his little princess as payment.”

Daddy better come through, or Naomi would find out exactly how much I fucking hated her.